‘Not Yet Done’: Fighting Islamic State

The “fight is not yet done” to put an end to the Islamic State extremist organization, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken said that the 80-member Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS had defeated the organization’s territory in Iraq and Syria, killed its leaders, and stopped major assaults when speaking at the beginning of a ministerial conference there.

However, Blinken emphasized a number of areas that needed attention in order to bring about what he termed the “enduring end” of the Islamic State organization.

In order to address the regions that terrorists use to attract recruits, he declared a target for pledges of $600 million. This included financing for social assistance and enforcing responsibility for crimes.

Blinken also spoke on repatriations from the area, stressing how crucial it is for nations to return their citizens who went to Iraq and Syria to fight for the Islamic State group and are now being held in detention facilities. He said that failing to do so put those combatants at danger of being let free and engaging in new militant operations.

He said that in order for people to have hope and chances, particularly children, they must be returned to their home nations.

While it is commendable that many countries, even smaller ones, have come up and carried out repatriations, a number of affluent countries—which he did not name—have not done so, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said during the conference. He said that the lack of action was “unacceptable” and that being a coalition member meant “you must take your responsibility.”

Blinken also spoke about the danger posed by Islamic State affiliates, particularly those in Afghanistan and the Sahel area of Africa. He emphasized the need to stay on top of changing dangers, to be watchful, and to prevent Afghanistan from turning into a sanctuary for terrorists.